As tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific region, military analysts predict the United States could deploy nearly half of its aircraft carriers to the Western Pacific this year to counter hostilities between China and North Korea.
There are currently three U.S. aircraft carriers stationed in the Western Pacific, and two more are scheduled to arrive. On February 5, the USS Abraham Lincoln, a member of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, was seen leaving its home port in San Diego, California, and sailing toward the Western Pacific Ocean, according to the US Naval Research Laboratory’s Fleet Ocean Tracking Office. This was announced in the South China Morning Post. he claimed.
Another aircraft carrier, the George Washington, is expected to be deployed to the region as a replacement carrier when the USS Ronald Reagan moves from Yokosuka, Japan, to Washington’s Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for maintenance. Upon arrival, five of the 11 U.S. airlines will operate in the region for the first time.
In addition to USS Ronald Reagan, USS Carl Vinson and USS Theodore Roosevelt deployed to Guam and Hawaii on February 12 and are expected to remain in the Western Pacific until April and July, respectively.
The possible deployment of five aircraft carriers to the region is seen as an attempt by the United States to project power in the region. When the three aircraft carriers were deployed earlier this year, experts noted that the United States was seeking to strengthen its strategic position in the Western Pacific.
In January, the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson conducted naval exercises in the East China Sea with South Korea and Japan in response to North Korea’s intermediate-range ballistic missile test. The trilateral exercise included air combat simulation, advanced maritime communications operations training, combined navigation, personnel exchange, and integration.
Later that month, the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, the Japanese helicopter destroyer Ise, and the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson participated in training exercises in the Philippine Sea. In this coordinated show of naval power, nine additional ships from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force participated in the exercise.
At the time, Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander of Carrier Strike Group 9 on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, said, “We are more capable when we work together to address common maritime security challenges.” Stated.
🇺🇲USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
🇺🇲USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
🇯🇵 Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroys escort ship Ise (DDH-182)The exercise began in the Philippine Sea on Monday and is scheduled to end on Thursday.
FFF000 168112 pic.twitter.com/ERbU33IzWP— Oceaner (@Oceanworldfree) February 1, 2024
Prior to this, in 2020, the US Navy deployed three aircraft carriers, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, and the USS Ronald Reagan, to the Pacific Ocean, sparking strong opposition from Chinese state media. Protect local interests.
However, if five aircraft carriers are deployed to the region, it will surpass the previous record.
US expands its presence in the region
The recent deployment of three aircraft carriers to the region comes amid heightened tensions and clashes over territorial disputes between the Philippines and China, two U.S. treaty allies.
Rear Admiral Carlos Sardiero, commander of the Carl Vinson Strike Group, confirmed that the carrier strike group is ready to carry out a wide range of operations.
Tensions have further escalated since the Philippines announced its intention to increase military personnel on the strategically important islands near Taiwan. Infuriated by the decision, China warned the country not to “play with fire.”
Furthermore, another enemy of the United States, North Korea, is also testing the limits of rivals South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s military reported on February 13 that North Korea fired several cruise missiles off its northeastern coast, marking the country’s fifth test of these weapons.
This is North Korea’s fifth cruise missile test in less than a month. https://t.co/forxNXMvHZ
— Warchik (@ResaLKirkland) February 14, 2024
Tensions on the Korean peninsula are at an all-time high following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s record weapons displays and belligerent threats of nuclear war with South Korea and the United States.
The US military’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region is further demonstrated by the aircraft carrier deployment, which has been planned for months despite regional concerns. The United States is expected to deploy five of its 11 aircraft carriers to the Western Pacific, even as it engages Yemen-based Houthi militias in the Red Sea.
The diversion of resources to the Western Pacific also highlights the region’s strategic importance amid China’s expansion and coercion in the Indo-Pacific. Additionally, Chinese aircraft carriers regularly venture into the Western Pacific through the straits near Japan.
The Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong sailed within 400 miles of Guam during a nearly three-week cruise in the Western Pacific Ocean. Guam is the most strategic US territory in the region, along with Hawaii, and is expected to play a fundamental role in deterring China.
recently #ChinaThe aircraft carrier Shandong conducted exercises in the Western Pacific while sailing near Guam, and the carrier hosted multiple sorties in areas east of Taiwan. This is a basic plan that shows the route along with the previous People’s Liberation Army aircraft carrier exercise held in December 2022. pic.twitter.com/4AQ4O6WsRY
— Damien Simon (@detresfa_) April 24, 2023
There is growing concern in the United States and its allies about the possibility of an invasion of Taiwan. China considers democratically ruled Taiwan to be its own territory. The Chinese government continues to demonstrate its intention to stand together with the autonomous island, and has not ruled out the possibility of using force in the future.
Lai Ching-de, a member of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and known for his skeptical attitude towards China, won the presidential election held in mid-January. With his victory, Beijing now views him as a potential danger to stability in the region.
There are concerns that Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles could endanger U.S. aircraft carriers, said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, a senior U.S. Navy official and commander of the USS Carl Vinson strike group. Attack the domain, be deadly and survivable, and execute the mission no matter what the threat is. ”
Sardiello announced that he has “absolute confidence that the carrier strike group will be able to accomplish the mission it was designed to perform effectively and safely,” even in the face of Chinese missiles. He added that the strike group “demonstrates the country’s military power.”